I Drinking B Person Drinks Glass Shots Ordering

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Many countries have drinking rules such as using two hands to receive drinks, never allowing your drinking friend to pour their own drinks, never leaving a glass empty too long, and so on. But in America, there isn't that many rules you need to know. I'll cover as much as I can and soon enough, you shouldn't have any problems talking while drinking in America. (I do not know the drinking etiquettes of other English speaking countries such as England, so learn about drinking rules before going there)

In a Bar
There are a few terminologies you have to learn.

Tap - Beer in a glass that is from a large container
Well - Same as Tap. Different wording
Pint - This is 16 fluid ounces. This roughly translates to 500cc.
Bottles - Bottles of beer
Pitchers - Same as Tap, but put in a pitcher
Mixed Drinks - Special Drinks like a mixture of Vodka and Orange Juice. They have names for these such as Fuzzy Navel, Rum and Coke, Buttery Nipple, Gin and tonic, and so on.
Wine - Red or white. Bottle or glass
Shots - Hard alcohol in small shot glass
On the Rocks - Hard alcohol in a bigger glass with ice
Straight Up - Used when ordering a hard alcohol. Specifying that you do not want ice
Double - Two shots in a bigger glass
Round - Used in groups when ordering together.
Bottoms up - One shot. Drink everything in your glass
Cheers - Word used before hitting glasses together before drinking
Champagne - Carbonated wine used in special occasions such as weddings.
Toast - A person usually makes a speech at a special occasion with glasses raised before all taking a drink together. Usually with champagne

Drinking - Ordering Drinks

I'll cover ordering drinks in a restaurant in the 'Restaurant' section. For now, I'll limit this session to ordering drinks in a bar, and drinking with friends.

When you are in a bar, you can either go up to the counter or wait for a server to come by. If you go to the counter, you order what you want by saying the drink name and the quantity.

I'll take 4 bottles of Corona."
I'll take a pitcher of Red Hook."
Give me 3 shots of Crowne."
I'll have one Jack and Coke."

After you get the drink, the bartender will usually say,

That will be $12.50."

If you pay with cash, then you should receive change. Make sure to tip once in a while. However, if you pay with a card, they will usually ask if you want to leave it open. Leaving it open means to keep the credit card open so if you order more drinks, you will get one bill instead of having to use the credit card multiple times. You will hear something like this.

Do you want to keep it open?"

If you want to keep the credit card open before they ask you, you can say this.

Can you keep it open?"

If you have a credit card open, then any more drinks you order will go on your credit card. When you are done for the night, you can simply tell them that you are ready for your bill.

Can I get my bill?"

If the bartender has your credit card, then you can go up to the counter and say the same thing, or say, I would like to close my tab."

Drinking - Ordering at a Table

If you are sitting at a table in a bar, a server will come up and ask you what you want. They can ask in multiple ways, but the most common are the following.

What can I get you guys?"
What can I get you?"
What would you like today?"
What will it be?"
What do you guys want today?"

Other things you can ask is if there are any specials.

Are there any specials today?"

If they do, they will probably tell you the drink and the price that is on special. Here is an example.

All our margaritas are $2.50, and well drinks are $2.00."
Every Monday we have pitchers for $5.00."

If you are having pints or shots or some other drink, and you want to get one more for everyone, you can say to the server that you want one more round.

Can we get one more round?"

They will respond by saying, 'Same thing?' or 'Four Coronas again?'

When you are sitting with your friends to drink, mostly you just talk and drink. But if somebody is getting low on a drink, you can offer to buy another one. Another situation is if someone buys you a drink, you want to say that you will buy the next round. Here are some examples.

I'm going to get another drink. Do you want one?"
Let me buy you a drink."
Thanks. I'll get the next round."

Drinking - General Things

When you are all standing in front of the bar to buy a beer, sometimes one person will pay. Usually everyone reaches for their money, but one person who wants to pay says, It's alright, I got this one."

Another popular saying is when you meet a good friend and you want to buy them a drink.

Hey, let me buy you a drink. What do you want?"

When you do cheers, you can either say cheers, or dedicate the next gulp to something.

You first lift up your glass and say,
This is to good times. Cheers."
For the end of our junior year."
To success."

Basically anything you want to drink for.

Among friends, you can recommend shots. At a bar, mostly people drink beer and mixed drinks. However, between drinks someone can recommend having a shot altogether.

Hey, let's all do a shot."
Shot time."
Let's get 4 shots of Jack."

Asking questions about how well someone drinks

How much can you drink?"
How many beers does it take to get you buzzed?"

Depending on the day, but mostly it will take 4 beers before I start to get buzzed."
I usually have about 6 drinks when I go out."

Also, when someone can't drink that much, people usually use the term light weight.

You should also know how to ask if a person is ok to drive. If they look drunk, then you should take away their keys. However, if they are ok, you can usually ask them if they are capable of driving.

Are you ok to drive?"
Are you going to be able to drive?"
You sure you can drive?"

Before moving on to the Interactive Practice section for drinking, listen to a conversation with a couple of friends in a bar.

Listen to this Conversation

A: Hey wassup. What are you guys drinking?"
B: We're having pitchers."
C: Dude, you're going to need a glass."
A: Excuse me?"
S: Yeah."
A: Can I get a glass?"
S: Sure."
A: Have you guys been drinking long?"
C: Not really. This is only our second pitcher."
B: You better start catching up."
A: When I get my glass, I will."
B: You ok with shots right?"
A: Yeah."
B: What do you usually have?"
C: He always has the same thing. Crowne."
A: Exactly."
B: That's good stuff."
C: You finally got your glass. Hey Cheers. To good friends."

Drinking - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.